I just love it when I get to play along. From the very first scene --a perfect repetition of what happened in The First Ones, down to the camera angles-- we long-time viewers are put in the confidence. Then there are lots of little scenes and details that keep reminding us of Daniel's past encounters with the Unas --by the way, it's good to hear from Chaka again after more than two years, and to discover that he's been quite busy in the meantime. So once more we can have endless fun watching Daniel deal with the Unas. (Clearly, this also allows the plot to take several shortcuts. But we are all fluent in Unas now, aren't we? )
However, the episode also has its serious side and moments of tension. And once more, it raises a valid ethical question: do the humans' needs, however vital, justify interfering with or even destroying, an alien civilisation --even a primitive one? And the episode adds a little twist by making Daniel deal with another officer than O'Neill, who would be too easily convinced. Richards is not a bad guy either, he's just very practical, rather wary of savage aliens, and totally bent on completing his mission. His difficult relationship with Daniel reminded me a lot of the first season, before Daniel and Jack got used to working together (which was exactly the point, as the episode insists on this).
So Daniel has to find a way to bridge the gap between both sides, none of which is willing to help. And may I mention here that his solution is both brilliant and really, really ironical?
However, the episode also has its serious side and moments of tension. And once more, it raises a valid ethical question: do the humans' needs, however vital, justify interfering with or even destroying, an alien civilisation --even a primitive one? And the episode adds a little twist by making Daniel deal with another officer than O'Neill, who would be too easily convinced. Richards is not a bad guy either, he's just very practical, rather wary of savage aliens, and totally bent on completing his mission. His difficult relationship with Daniel reminded me a lot of the first season, before Daniel and Jack got used to working together (which was exactly the point, as the episode insists on this).
So Daniel has to find a way to bridge the gap between both sides, none of which is willing to help. And may I mention here that his solution is both brilliant and really, really ironical?